Authorities in Greece said they recovered the bodies of seven immigrants, including two children, who drowned overnight when a boat sank in the eastern Aegean Sea after traveling illegally from nearby Turkey.
The Merchant Marine Ministry said eight other people were rescued near the island of Lesvos. Two of the dead were found in the waters off the coast of the island, while the other five were recovered from their semi-sunken boat.
The ministry said the boat sank in good weather about 2.4 kms off Lesvos, which is very close to the Turkish coast. The alarm was raised by a small Turkish boat that picked up two survivors in the dark.
Greece is a major transit point for illegal immigration from Asia and Africa into the European Union. –AP